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Gavin Newsom leads governor’s race in new survey

A new survey conducted by Fresno State’s Institute for Leadership and Public Policy provided the latest polling in the 2018 race for California governor.

Fifteen percent of those surveyed said they would vote for Democrat Gavin Newsom for governor if the election were held today. Four out of 10 voters indicated no candidate preference.

Twelve percent of respondents said they would support Republican candidate for governor John Cox. Eleven percent of respondents indicated Republican Travis Allen as their vote, and nine percent responded in favor of Democrat Antonio Villaraigosa.

The two candidates with the most votes after the June primary will move on to the November general election under California’s top-two primary rule.

“The survey suggests that the gubernatorial race in the San Joaquin Valley is up for grabs,” Dr. Jeff Cummins, a political science professor at Fresno State and the co-director of the institute, said in a news release.

It was also revealed that 29 percent of voters would support U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein in her reelection campaign for Congress. Sixteen percent of respondents indicated a vote for former State Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de León, Feinstein’s challenger.

But approximately four out of 10 voters surveyed said that, due to dissatisfaction with the current candidates, they would choose to support someone else aside from Feinstein and de León.

The survey also showed that 58 percent of registered voters support repealing gas taxes adopted by the governor and legislature last year. Thirty-six percent would vote to keep the gas tax if the election was held today.

Conducted Feb. 5 through 15, the survey report includes a random sample of registered voters from the San Joaquin Valley with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percent.

The complete report for the survey is on the Institute for Leadership and Public Policy’s website. For further information, contact Cummins at 559-278-6693 or political science professor Dr. Lisa Bryant at 559-278-7612.